(DRAFT) MIDTERM PROJECT PROPOSAL ASSIGNMENT - Jayson Paulino

 MIDTERM PROJECT PROPOSAL

Perfect by Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s “Untitled (Perfect Lovers)” (1991) is a deeply poetic conceptual artwork: two identical clocks hung side by side, synchronized to the same time, slowly drifting out of sync as time passes. It’s about love, loss, mortality, and shared experience, inspired by his partner’s death from AIDS. Using that as the foundation, here are three brainstorm ideas for mu midterm art intervention project all object-based, participatory, and inspired by his themes of time, connection, and fragility. Torres's works are very interesting in how they are often everyday objects used to speak about love and loss

• The first Idea draws from the "Perfect Lovers" itself the plan is to get two or more clocks of the same type and place them beside each other. for audience interaction participants are invited to reset one of the clocks to match another or maybe set it to a time that represents a personal memory. I plan to invite people to write about small time based memories, maybe on a post it note or something else like cards, and have them placed near the clocks. These memory posts will form a growing archive as a wall of time and connection.   
• The second Idea would similar to the first one but with a key difference. Instead of clocks this will require lights, lamps ore LED lights placed side by side that are connected to a simple timer or switch that turns them on or off. Viewers can press a button to resynchronize the lights temporarily restoring their unity each time someone interacts, the lights are “reunited,” but they inevitably fall out of sync again, mirroring the natural rhythm of relationships. This work becomes an interactive meditation on love, distance, and the impossibility of permanence it shows that small actions, like pressing a button can restore harmony, even if only briefly.
• The third Idea will be similar to the last two but once again. Like “Perfect Lovers”, this idea treats time as both intimate and communal it transforms the concept of synchronized clocks into a shared ritual that people carry with them. It will be a  small zine titled “Minutes Together” which contains short quotes, blank spaces, and prompts for reflection like “Draw what a perfect moment looks like,” or “Write the time when you felt most loved”. Each zine is accompanied by a mini clock face button or sticker  representing one moment in time. The project invites reflection on time and intimacy in everyday life t transforms a minimalist conceptual artwork into a participatory community archive.

Towards a Curatorial Activism - 2 quotes and a short response

Quote #1 - “On investigating price differentials, and sex–race ratios in galleries, within thematic and national exhibitions, and in the press, the numbers demonstrate that the fight for equality is far from over. Indeed, the more closely one examines art world statistics, the more glaringly obvious it becomes that, despite the decades of postcolonial, feminist, anti-racist, and queer activism and theorising, the ‘majority’ continues to be defined as white, Euro-American, heterosexual, privileged and, above all, male. When perusing the majority of mainstream museums, for instance, one must search more diligently for the women artists, artists of colour, and artists of non-Euro-American descent. Without question, the art world is not yet concerned with full assimilation of work by minority, postcolonial or any other voices into the larger discourse, except, of course, as ‘special’ (read separatist) exhibitions, e.g. Aboriginal art, Latin American art, Women artists, etc”

Short response - This quote really highlights the persistent structural inequities within the art world, despite decades of activism and critical theory it reveals how inclusion often remains superficial or symbolic, with marginalized voices sidelined into separate categories rather than integrated into the mainstream. True progress requires not just visibility, but also systemic changes that redefine who gets to shape he story in both art and cultures.

Quote #2 - “ Research by postcolonial, critical race and feminist theorists over the past three decades has posited that the most successful tactics for addressing inequality, while sometimes self-defeating, are always worthwhile. Historically forgotten artists can be reclaimed, excavated for close analysis; revisionist strategies can be employed in which mainstream artists can be read ‘against the grain’; ‘area studies’ can be further explored as well, although such ‘specialised’ studies can also be ghettoising at times; and finally comparative studies, which celebrate the polylogue (versus the monologue), have also been suggested as a possibility. The downside of the latter technique, however, is that it can result in assimilation, which comes at the cost of cultural heritage, and can obscure the real socio- historical differences in relation to the privileged classes.”

Short response - This quote explores the strengths and challenges of strange tigers used by post colonial, critical race, and feminist theorists to address inequality in art and culture. tactics like reclaiming forgotten artists, reinterpreting dominant figures, and using are or comparative studies have helped diversify this field. Yet these methods carry risks, specialized studies can isolate, while comparative approaches may dilute cultural specificity through assimilation. Still they remain valuable for challenging dominant narratives. their success depends on thoughtful, critical application that avoids reinforcing the very exclusions they aim to undo.

what is Curatorial Activism? Quotes and short response

Quote #1 - “ Theirs is not Affirmative Action curating, it’s intelligent curating. It is a practice rooted in ethics and, as such, their exhibitions function as curatorial correctives to the exclusion of Other artists from either the master narratives of art history, or from the contemporary art scene itself.”

Short response - This quote reframes inclusive curating not as a token gesture, but as an ethical and intellectual practice. It positions such wrk as a necessary corrective to the historical and ongoing exclusion of marginalized artists, challenging dominant narratives and expanding the scope of what is considered valuable in art, history, and contemporary practice.

Quote #2 - “ Why are mainstream curators perpetuating such bigotry? Have curators today become so arrogant that asking them to include more non-white and/or women artists is an affront to their egos? Do they view their curatorial thematic as so Biblical / air-tight / brilliant that it can’t allow for Other artists? Has the curator’s voice today become too god-like? Are they too market-centric? Are they studying in curatorial programs that don’t offer up a more inclusive curriculum (e.g. courses in feminist art; post-colonial studies; critical race theory)?”

Short response - This quote raises urgent questions about the biases and blind spots within mainstream curating. It challenges the power and authority curators hold in shaping cultural narratives and calls out the lack of accountability in excluding diverse voices. Ultimately, it suggests that without more inclusive education and self-awareness, curatorial practice risks reinforcing elitism and systemic inequality in the art world.